| West Mexican chachalaca | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In Mexico | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Cracidae |
| Genus: | Ortalis |
| Species: | O. poliocephala |
| Binomial name | |
| Ortalis poliocephala (Wagler, 1830) | |
 | |
The West Mexican chachalaca (Ortalis poliocephala) is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is endemic to Mexico. [2]
The West Mexican chachalaca was first described as Penelope poliocephala and later moved to genus Ortalis. At one time it was considered a subspecies of plain chachalaca (Ortalis vetula). After being reinstated as a species, some authors included what is now the rufous-bellied chachalaca (O. wagleri) as a subspecies. [3] In its current status, the West Mexican chachalaca is monotypic. [2]
The West Mexican chachalaca is 58.5 to 68.5 cm (1.9 to 2.2 ft) long. One male weighed 760 g (1.7 lb). Its crown and nape are dull brownish gray and the rest of the upperparts pale brownish olive. The tail is slightly grayer and the feathers have broad buff tips. The breast is grayish olive and the belly whitish with a buff wash. The hazel eye is surrounded by bare carmine skin. [3]
The West Mexican chachalaca is found in a swath of southwestern Mexico between northern Jalisco and southwestern Chiapas and inland as far as southwestern Puebla. It primarily inhabits mature deciduous forest, thorn scrub, and secondary forest. Locally it inhabits pine-oak forest and sometimes is found in mangroves and palm plantations. In elevation it ranges from sea level to 2,400 m (7,900 ft). [3]
The West Mexican chachalaca forages mostly on the ground but will also ascend into vegetation. About two thirds of its diet is fruit, with flowers, seeds, leaves, and insects making up the rest. [3]
The West Mexican chachalaca's breeding season spans from April to August with a June-July peak. The nest is constructed by both sexes; it is a shallow platform of sticks lined with leaves and bromeliads sited up to 5 m (16 ft) above the ground. One described clutch was three eggs. The female alone incubates eggs but both sexes care for the young. [3]
The West Mexican chachalaca's principal vocalization is "a group of 'gruff, throaty, rhythmic chattering, chur-uh-uh-uhr, etc'." [3]
The IUCN has assessed the West Mexican chachalaca as being of Least Concern. [1] It is deemed fairly common to common throughout its range. It is commonly hunted for food but apparently not to excess. [3]
The chachalacas, guans and curassows are birds in the family Cracidae. These are species of tropical and subtropical Central and South America. The range of one species, the plain chachalaca, just reaches southernmost parts of Texas in the United States. Two species, the Trinidad piping guan and the rufous-vented chachalaca occur on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago respectively.
The grey-headed chachalaca is a member of an ancient group of birds of the family Cracidae, which includes chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found from Honduras to Colombia.
The plain chachalaca is a large bird in the chachalaca, guan and curassow family Cracidae. It breeds in tropical and subtropical environments from mezquital thickets in the Rio Grande Valley in southernmost Texas, United States to northernmost Costa Rica. In Central America, this species occurs in the Pacific lowlands from Chiapas, Mexico to northern Nicaragua and as a separate population in Costa Rica, where its range is separated by a short distance, as a disjunct population.
The sickle-winged guan is a species of bird in the chachalaca, guan, and curassow family Cracidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The Chaco chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and possibly Uruguay.
The rufous-headed chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The chestnut-winged chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is endemic to Colombia.
The speckled chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The white-bellied chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
The rufous-bellied chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is endemic to western Mexico.
The rusty-margined guan is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, which includes the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.
The lined quail-dove is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.
The grey-chested dove is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama.
The gray-barred wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is endemic to Mexico.
The grey-breasted wood wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found from Mexico to Bolivia.
The Melanesian whistler or Vanuatu whistler, is a species of passerine bird in the whistler family Pachycephalidae. It is found on the Loyalty Islands, Vanuatu, and Vanikoro in the far south-eastern Solomons.
The buff-breasted wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in the Amazon Basin of northern Brazil and Amazonian Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and northern-border Bolivia, and also the Guianan countries of Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. It occurs in non-Amazonian regions of Venezuela and Colombia and its range extends into eastern Panama.
The whiskered wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.
The white-bellied wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
Poliocephalus and its counterparts poliocephala and poliocephalum are Greek words meaning 'grey-headed'. Poliocephalus is the name for a genus of grebes, while Poliocephala is the name for a genus of flies. The two words are often used as the second word of a binomial name.
